Heart of Black
by mikanlove
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is sent into the forest rumored of many deaths. She finds herself in a sticky situation when she bumps into a dangerous demon, who offers her a deal in exchange to not become his meal. What she didn't expect was to fall in love with the one who had almost eaten her up.
1. The Story Begins

**New fic guys! Before I start this story, I do feel the need to put a warning.**

 **There will be dark themes in future chapters. Mention of abuse, trauma, and murder will be coming into play. I also hope you know I take these topics very seriously and won't be using them in a joking manner in any way. (Nothing will be extreme enough to make this fic rated M.)**

 **With that said, this fic is also going to have humor and light-hearted moments as well. In fact, most of it will be. The dark parts are for plot development and such. I just know some people have triggers that might make them feel anxious so I put a warning.**

 **I hope you guys love it!**

 **-o-**

In a small village so secluded that nobody was even aware of its existence, lived Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was a seventeen year old girl with shoulder-length dark blue hair and bright cerulean eyes.

She lived with her mother and father at the bakery they ran. Her best friend was Alya Césaire, a girl she really just considered her sister. They grew up together since they were six-years-old, which was Marinette's age when she moved to the village.

However, happy as this story may sound, things weren't exactly going brilliantly for the village folk.

There had been rumors going around for years of dangerous demons lurking in the forest and feeding on unsuspecting victims. Strangely enough, everyone who was reported to have gone missing was female. That sure made her feel a _whole_ lot better.

However, after while of believing those stories, Marinette decided she didn't really believe in werewolves. Every time someone went missing, the people would blame it on some fictional character. Nobody really had evidence of this ever happening, but somehow, everyone fell for such stories—even herself, at some point.

And around these strange fairy tales she grew up hearing is where our story begins.

 **-o-**

" _Can I try a piece?" the five-year-old boy asked, pointing at the croissant in his friend's hands. She peeked up at him curiously._

" _Sure," she responded, ripping off a chunk and offering it to him. "Have you not had a croissant before?"_

" _No," the boy shook his head, devouring the flaky bread. With his mouth still full, he gave her a thumbs up. "I like it. Did you make it?"_

" _No. My mama did. She makes good food," the girl responded, shyly. "But see, when I become big like her, I will also make yummy meals."_

" _I want to try them first," he pouted, the corner of his lips drooping down. The blue haired female thought for a moment, before making a declaration with a wide grin on her face._

" _You will eat my first croissant ever, I promise!"_

 **-o-**

The Dupain-Cheng bakery was filled with the wonderful scents of freshly baked pastries and breads wafting through the air. It was around seven in the morning, and they would be opening in around half an hour. Lots of work had to be done to upkeep their bakery, as they were the only one in the entire village.

Marinette cracked open the oven, checking on the bread. She let out a small _ooh_ as she observed the slightly browned crescent-shaped pastries.

"Maman! I think they're done!" she announced, pulling out the tray with an oven mitt. Looking at them, she felt a sense of pride. Soon, her mother appeared around the corner.

"They smell wonderful!" she complimented. "This is the first batch of croissants that you made _alone_."

"I know!" she exclaimed gleefully. Marinette had practically shoved her mother out of the kitchen earlier in the day, insistent on making today's batch alone. So, she ended up doing just that—and _successfully_ , for once! "I'm happy with how they turned out," the girl noted, pleased with their appearance.

Her mother smiled. "I'll go put these in the display cases for people to buy. Why don't you go outside for a bit?" she suggested. Marinette nodded.

 **-o-**

And outside she went. Originally, she was headed for Alya's, but along the way she found what appeared to be Kim doing something to a kitten with a stick.

"God, Kim! Leave the poor thing alone!" she called. He turned his head towards the source of the voice.

Marinette tossed a twig at the boy's head, causing him to let out a loud _ouch_. He dropped his own stick that was previously grasped, instead shooting his hands up to his head and over the spot his friend had hit him.

The small, grey cat ran off back where it had come from. Marinette let out a sigh of relief before turning back to Kim and shooting him a harsh glare.

"What did I say about terrorizing defenseless animals?!" she lectured, causing the teen to childishly cover his ears. She couldn't believe she had to scold him like this. _He_ was the one that was an entire year older than _her._

"I wasn't hurting it! I was trying to play with it, then suddenly—"

"I don't even want to hear it," she crossed her arms over her chest, acting as if she were his mother and tsking. Kim was ready to get chewed out some more, but she then smiled. "I'm joking. But seriously, let's just leave the animals alone. They're small and easy to hurt."

"I really didn't mean to," he promised. Marinette nodded.

"I know."

Just after she said her goodbyes to Kim, a piercing shriek startled the girl. Her eyes popped open wide in alertness, until they landed on her best friend, Alya.

She caught her in a hug before the redhead began sobbing.

"Marinette! Why do you have to leave?!" she cried, gripping the back of her friend's shirt tightly.

The blue haired female blinked in astonishment a few times. Her friend was normally very composed, and witnessing her in this kind of broken down state was very rare. "Leaving? That's absurd," she replied. Alya shook her head.

"You didn't see it yet, did you."

"No…" she responded, unsure of what she was supposed to see. It must've been bad to emit this kind of reaction, though. That's when her friend lifted her head and stared her right in the eye, a dead serious look in her hazel orbs.

"You were selected."

Marinette's entire body tensed up. _I was selected?_ The severity of the words barely registered through her mind as her eyes widened in fear. She could feel the blood drain from her face. _What?_

See, their village had a system. Whenever something was needed from the forest, which wasn't very often at all as no one wanted to risk more fatalities than necessary, they would pull a random person's name. Of course, there were requirements. The person had to be sixteen or up, and they were allowed to bring someone with them.

Marinette shook her head, trying to swallow the fear she felt. _There's nothing there in that forest. Werewolves are fake. Ghosts are fake. Demons are fake. There's nothing to fear,_ she tried to convince herself, although a bit of doubt managed to sneak into her mind. _But...then, where did all those people disappear to?_

"I'll be fine," she spoke, not really sure if it was to herself or Alya. "Everything will be okay…"

But would everything _really_ be okay?


	2. An Innocent Facade

Of course, there was nothing to prevent Marinette from going into this dangerous situation. It was decided, and set in stone. So, she spent the rest of the day saying her goodbyes and packing her bags. Tomorrow came by far too fast, and before she knew it, it was time to leave.

It wasn't a situation that could be compromised. Turns out that the village needed her to retrieve a medicine from a doctor who resided in the forest. There were already a couple people who have fallen severely ill from the sickness, and they were trying to stop it before it spread to everyone else.

Marinette shoved a scarf and gloves into her backpack. Somehow, everything seemed a bit more real and scary the day of. Last night she'd stayed up, consulting herself until she felt better. And she was confident up until she woke up this morning.

Marinette grabbed a water bottle and held it up. "Maman, should I bring this amount of water, or will I need more?"

"I think that should last you…" she responded, tucking a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear caringly. She then held out a container full of desserts and breads for Marinette to take. "Eat these and have lots of energy, my baby."

"I'll be fine Maman. Watch, by tomorrow I'll be right back here where I should be," she smiled reassuringly, although she wasn't too sure of it herself. Just then, the older woman grabbed one of her hands, placing a cold, metal object into her hands. Marinette's eyes widened as she gripped the hilt of the dagger, pulling off the top to reveal a sharp, clean tip, that could easily wound someone if she weren't careful.

"Please be safe."

 **-o-**

Marinette waved goodbye to all the folks in her village, wondering if she really would see them all again. The way they all gathered to show how much they cared about her and wished her off well—even Chloe, the stuck up daughter of their village's mayor who _hated_ her, or maybe just people in general, came to bid her good luck.

Just as she held her breath and prepared to take her first step onto the path, a voice stopped her.

"Wait, Marinette!"

She turned around, a confused look etched onto her face, as she came face to face with Nathanael. He was a shy but sweet boy that she would often hang out with as a child. Figuring that he came to say goodbye, she was ready to say just that, until he spoke again.

"I'm coming with you," he announced. A few noises of approval around them were heard. Of course they'd want a _guy_ to come with her. Marinette sighed, however thought it'd be better than journeying alone. She did get lonely rather easily.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, offering him a genuine smile. He had obviously been expecting her to protest against it, since he looked a bit surprised at her response.

"It's the least I could do."

And with those words, they confidently set off into the woods, ready to face whatever would come their way.

 **-o-**

They trekked on a path for a while, until it suddenly cut off, leaving them unsure of where to go.

"Did you read the map correctly?" Marinette asked, leaning over to take a peek at it. He scratched his head in confusion.

"I did. I think if we just keep continuing to the east we should find his house," Nathanael responded, pointing off in the direction of a bunch of trees. The girl grimaced. She hated everything about this idea, but knew that she shouldn't have expected the journey to be so easy.

"Let's go, then," she sighed, forcing herself to sound as positive as possible.

They continued walking through for a while longer, getting their feet caught on fallen branches more than a few times. Marinette had even tripped at one point, leaving a few small cuts on her ankle. It was, as expected, very unpleasant and even slightly painful. But nonetheless, they persisted through.

After a while of this, Marinette felt as if they were getting nowhere. Every inch of the forest looked identical—just a bunch of trees. It was getting slightly dark out, and she could tell it was already late afternoon, maybe even almost evening.

She was having trouble seeing, as the countless numbers of branches and leaves blocked out the small amount of sunlight left in the sky. She slowed down her pace in order to not misplace her feet and stumble. Getting even more hurt right now definitely wasn't ideal.

"Nath," Marinette spoke, stopping in her tracks so he could catch up, "can I see the map?"

She waited patiently for a few moments, only to find that he didn't respond. She was only met with a chilling silence. Only then did she realize Nathanael's footsteps were nowhere to be heard. The blue haired girl's eyes widened in fear as she spun around.

"N-Nathanael?" she called again, voice quivering slightly as she looked around in the dark forest, only being able to see a few feet in front of her due to the dim lighting. Again, he didn't respond, nor could she spot him.

Just at that very moment, she heard a stick snap from behind her. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she turned around, crunching the leaves beneath her feet as she did so. Her hands automatically reach into her back pocket, where she stealthily hid the dagger.

A few more footsteps were heard, but to her surprise, a little boy popped out from behind one of the taller trees. Obviously stunned, she tucked the dagger away, rushing over to the young boy who looked lost and hurt.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern evident in her tone as she gripped his shoulders and held him upright. He peeked at her through his half-lidded eyes, breathing heavily.

"I-I got lost. I'm s-scared," he admitted, clutching onto her hands. She could see the tears forming in his eyes. Marinette figured he'd probably tripped and fell at some point, so she hoisted the boy into the air and safely in her arms. She couldn't imagine how far he must've walked to get this deep into the forest.

"It's okay, honey," she soothed, motherly instincts kicking in. After hanging out with the children of the village and taking care of them so often, she developed a soft spot for them. "I'll get you out of here and we'll find your mommy," Marinette promised. He smiled up at her.

"Can you help me get my bracelet?" he asked, innocent emerald eyes staring into hers. She cocked her head in confusion.

"Bracelet?"

He nodded. "I dropped it. I think it's over there somewhere…"

Marinette bit her lip. She really should wait for Nathanael to come back from wherever he went…she was concerned that maybe he'd really gotten captured by a strange creature. But it wouldn't hurt to help this boy out while she waited…

"Okay, let's go look for it," she agreed, letting him down and walking him to the area he pointed towards. He led her right into a patch of trees, where there was little to no open space. Marinette felt an uneasy feeling pooling in the pit of her stomach when she realized it was now practically pitch black. She couldn't see anything—not the boy's figure, not the ground, hell, she couldn't even see the _trees_.

Marinette suddenly stopped walking, wondering if this was a good idea after all. She'd put herself and the boy in danger by walking out here. Even if werewolves and monsters were fictional, there was no denying the fact that _real_ wolves were lurking around, waiting for pray. She wouldn't be surprised if she bumped into a panther or lion here. Sure, they didn't even really hang out in forests at all, but the girl wasn't taking her chances.

"Hey, I think we should turn back now—"

And that's when she came face-to-face with the same set of green eyes she'd seen earlier on the little boy. Except this time, they were glowing, narrowed, and belonged to something even bigger than her. The figure that she could distinctly make out seemed about half a foot taller than her, and _definitely_ muscular. She could see ears on top of it's head, and a wicked smile plastered on the creature's face.

 _Oh, shit._

 **-o-**

 **School starts in 3 days for me, so starting then, updates won't be regular. School takes up a large amount of my day for me including extracurricular activities afterschool such as sports or musical programs :'((**


	3. Kept Promises

**whoop whoop whoop im currently listening to P!ATD which i never thought i would like but um i love it. thegabbieshow hooked me up tbh ;)**

 **(I'm going swimming today, woo!)**

 **ALSO to the guest who goes by Madrein, those puns were un-fur-tunately claw-ful. I'd purr-fer if you'd NOT. (actually ily though)**

 **-o-**

 _Plop._

 _The small, four-year-old blue haired girl frowned, reaching for another flat pebble. Finally deciding that she'd found the perfect rock, she tossed it into the pond once again, a look of dismay coming over her face when it only sunk to the bottom once more._

 _Disheartened, she sat on the muddy ground, not caring very much that the skirt of her dress was getting covered in the earthly filth._

 _Plop, plop, plop!_

 _She shot her head up, alert. The girl looked surprised when she found herself staring at a pair of legs._

 _Her eyes continued to travel upwards, and there she could see a boy standing. He looked around her age, and had messy blonde locks with a set of stunning green eyes. She noticed that he was the boy she'd shared a croissant with last time they met._

" _You like skipping rocks?"_

 _The girl stood up, brushing down her skirt and letting out an ick when she found her hands covered in mud. She solved it by cleaning her hands off back onto her skirt._

" _Yeah...but I'm not really good," she replied, staring up at him with her bright blue eyes. "You like it too?"_

" _I do."_

" _Can you show me?" she requested, happily clapping her hands and cheering when he nodded in affirmation. She handed him a flat rock that matched her mama's description of a perfect skipping rock._

 _He skimmed the water with it, and she watched in awe as it hopped four times before sinking into the pond._

" _That was so good!" she cheered, a carefree grin on her face. He smiled, as well._

" _Do you have anymore croissants from your mom?" he asked, wanting more of the flaky bread. It had quickly become his favorite food ever since she let him taste it for the first time._

 _The girl nodded, pigtails bobbing along with her head. She pulled out the pastry from her small backpack that she often carried around._

" _Here," she offered it to him. He took it gratefully, before she began to speak. "You know, I don't think my mama is a good cook after all."_

 _He frowned, crumbs littering his mouth. "Why?"_

 _Playing with the hem of her dress, she responded, "I saw mama get that from someone else." She pointed to the croissant he was munching on. "But she tells me she made it. Why do you think mama is lying?"_

 _He seemed to think about this for a moment. "To make you happy?"_

" _But how?"_

" _Well, you were happy when I skipped the rock right?" he questioned, knowing what the answer would be._

" _Mmhm!" she hummed. The boy chuckled._

" _I lied too. I don't like doing it. I just wanted to see you smile."_

 **-o-**

To say she was scared would be the understatement of the century. Marinette was frightened out of her mind. She fell backwards to the ground in midst of her own surprise and clumsiness, aimlessly reaching for the dagger, gasping wildly.

"How sweet of you to help me out," he chuckled, his husky voice sending unpleasant shivers down her spine. Marinette barely had time to register anything when he lunged at her, pinning her arms and legs to the ground, successfully knocking the dagger out of her hand, sending it flying across the forest floor.

Now hyperventilating, Marinette began attempting to kick her legs, but to no avail. She could feel his warm breath on her neck as he neared closer to her face, and screwed her eyes shut tightly. Tears formed in her eyes as she realized this is how she was going to die. Because she fell for some stupid trick and left Nathanael behind.

She was never going to see her family ever again. Her mom, dad, Alya—even Chloe—she would never see them again. She never even got to say goodbye. She lay on the ground, quivering in fear. Just as she felt his sharp teeth come in contact with the flesh or her throat, Marinette let out a loud yelp of terror.

"Don't!" she screamed, eyes flying open and staring into his as tears spilled down her cheeks.

There were a few minutes of deafening silence, in which only the hysterical, shuddering breaths of the female could be heard. She lay rigid, afraid of making any movement that could provoke the creature or end with her being injured. His fangs still rested on her skin, which meant if she made any drastic movements, they'd penetrate straight through her throat and leave her a bloody mess of red.

However, she felt no pain or blood running down her neck.

She felt relief flood her entire system as the weight of the creature disappeared. Trying to calm her nerves, Marinette closed her eyes again, taking deep breaths. After feeling like she was emotionally ready as she'd ever be, the girl sat up, feeling the pain in her wrists just from the small amount of pressure she put on them.

She took a look at them, finding them slightly bruised in the shape of handprints. But she'd worry about that later. For now…

Marinette glanced up at the creature, only to find that it was glancing off to the side. Instead of talking, she decided to silently observe him. It appeared the masculine figure was less scary than she'd thought. He had blonde hair, green eyes, and it appeared that he was a human in every way and form had it not been for his cat-like outfit, bulky body, demonically glowing eyes, sharp fangs, and superhuman strength.

"...You let me go," she stated, capturing his attention. His eyes narrowed, and for a second she wondered if talking was the wrong thing to do.

"I don't like my victims so unwilling," he responded, a hint of annoyance in his tone. Marinette bit back the urge to say anything that could even be mistaken as rude. "And I did let you go—but at a cost."

She felt panic rush through her mind again, but replied without missing a beat, "What do you want?"

He stood up abruptly, causing Marinette to instinctively move back, until he raised a hand to signal for her to stop. She froze.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you," he assured her, although she wasn't sure she believed him. "As you know, since I'm sparing you, I'm letting go of the first meal opportunity I've found in a while."

She nodded as if simply to humor him. Pleased with her response, he continued.

"If you give me some food, I'll let you go."

Marinette quickly dropped her backpack, keeping her eyes trained on him in case he tried anything while her focus was taken off him. She pulled out the container her mother had given her, opening the lid and quickly pulling out the first thing she could feel for.

"Here," she offered, holding out the croissant she'd made this morning. Marinette really hated to see it go like this, for she wanted to try it herself, but her life was on the line.

She watched as he took the bread, giving it a tentative bite, before devouring the rest. Marinette simply sat there, watching him. Why did he spare her? Weren't most of his victims unwilling? It didn't seem to make a difference then. She was sure _whatever_ creature he was would rather fresh meat than croissants.

"I, um, I'm going to go now—"

"Wait," he commanded, pointing to the spot where she previously sat. She went back, afraid to defy him. "You didn't listen to the full deal. You must bring me food _everyday_."

"Everyday?!" she cried in disbelief, forgetting for a moment who she was talking to. He glared at her.

"It's only fair that you compensate me for letting you off so easily. Otherwise, I'll have to go seeking out humans to feed on." he threatened. Marinette gasped.

"You're _sick_!" she finally spoke, standing up and pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You're truly a monster! What kind of sick _threat_ is that?!"

He frowned. For what reason, she didn't know, nor did she care. "A _monster_?"

"That's what I said," she repeated, gulping down the fear she felt crawling through her skin.

He only smirked. The cat-like demon held his arms out, and a blinding green light covered him. Marinette had to shield her eyes in order to not go blind. When she saw the glow dying down, she dropped her hands, gasping sharply when her eyes landed on him. She saw something with normal limbs, non-glowing eyes…

A human.

He was a rather handsome one, at that. His eyes were still green, however the scary glow was replaced with shining ones she found herself getting lost in. His previously wild, chin-length blonde hair was now much shorter and even styled. His facial structure was defined and masculine. And his body—oh, don't even get her started.

"I'm a human, just like you, m'lady."

Marinette passed out.

 **-o-**

 **whoop whoop whoop WHAT DO Y'ALL THINK IS GONNA HAPPEN?!**


	4. Unfamiliar Place

**Pretty short chapter, but I figured a little update is better than no update :)**

 **I have school tomorrow! I'm so nervous and excited. But I know after the first week I'll want to be out asap.**

 **ALSO shout-out to Ladybug1303 for catching that the creature ate the first croissant made by Marinette! Notice the chapter's name "Kept Promises"? :')**

 **-o-**

"Nnngh…"

Marinette shivered, not liking the feeling of her bare arms hitting the cold air. She took a deep breath in, noting that it didn't smell like fresh bread as it usually did in the mornings. Dismissing it as only a minor detail, she reached for her blanket, only to grab a fistful of...something soft and silky?

"Ow! What the hell?!"

The girl's eyes popped open as she released her grip on the thing. She shot up in bed, staring in shock at the sight that met her. That handsome-demon-boy she met earlier was resting his head on the side of the bed she was laying on. _So it wasn't a dream._

"Sorry," Marinette apologized, realizing the tight hold she had on his hair earlier probably wasn't too pleasant. She rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the dim lighting in the room. That's when she got a good look at things.

One thing was for sure—this house _definitely_ wasn't hers. The place looked like a log cabin, however a very nice one. The bed was also very large and cushioned, which explained why her sleep felt extra nice.

"Where are we?" she asked warily, hoping he wasn't planning on keeping her there. He sighed, deciding not to lecture her about the hair pulling.

"I found some doctor in the middle of the forest. You fainted, so I brought you here to rest," he responded. Marinette smiled. She was grateful that he even bothered to help her instead of leaving her in the middle of the forest. _I guess even demons have morals._

However, something about his response piqued her interest. "A doctor, you say?"

He quirked a brow up. "That's what I said."

Marinette's eyes lit up, as she hopped out of the bed. If she was currently at a doctor's house in the middle of the forest, that could only mean one thing.

She'd ended up making it to her destination after all!

"Where do you think you're going?" he snapped. Marinette almost swore she heard a hint of concern in his tone, although figured it was because she were his only source of food for the time being.

"I have to get something and go back home," she explained briefly, swinging open a door and leaving the blonde alone in the room.

Sighing at how difficult she was being, the male decided to sneak downstairs and watch over her, as well. Normally, he'd yell at her for being so disobedient, however he was far too tired to do that.

He remained in his human form all the while to not appear suspicious to the doctor, taking a seat on a nearby chair and silently eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Hello, I'm Marinette from a nearby village," she introduced, hands placed on the counter that separated her and the doctor.

His ears pricked up at the sound of her name _. Marinette, huh?_

Wondering what more information he could try out of this, the blonde continued listening. "Oh, you're the girl who was brought in after a fainting spell," the doctor remembered. She smiled briefly.

"Yes, Mister…" her eyes travelled to his name tag. "Fu. I suppose I just wore myself out too much. It took lots of walking to find this place."

Fu raised an eyebrow curiously. "And for what reason were you travelling here?" he inquired. It wasn't too often someone came seeking this place out.

She sighed, solemnly. "Well, there's been a bad illness spreading around in the village. We're afraid it might spread and cause many deaths."

He nodded in understanding. "Can you describe the symptoms for me?" he requested. Marinette nodded, slipping off the backpack she'd taken with her. She was really grateful that the demon-human-boy brought it after she passed out.

"Our mayor wrote it down for you. Let me grab the paper."

The rest of her words fell deaf on his ears. He observed the girl, noting that she wasn't too bad looking. Some may even call her pretty. Her blue pigtails were a trait of hers he liked, however he often found himself wanting to stare into her shining bluebell eyes that were always full of life. Except when he scared her. He hated seeing that look on her, and he didn't know why. He _hated_ how he felt so guilty for causing this girl he'd never met before to feel afraid.

"Why are you still here?"

He blinked a few times, obviously previously lost in thought. Looking up, he found himself looking up at the girl he'd been thinking of a few seconds ago.

"Why am I here?" he repeated, almost mockingly. That's when he caught a glimpse of the doctor. He couldn't say anything that would arise suspicion right now. "Because I wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll walk you out," he offered, beckoning her to go outside with a tilt of his head. Marinette made a face, which he assumed was due to his rather uncharacteristic response, but went outside, thanking the older man who'd given her the medicine before leaving.

Following her out, they walked for a few minutes to ensure they wouldn't be spotted, before the blonde turned to her.

"I'm only here to make sure you're _actually_ going to return and bring me food," he spoke evenly, raising an eyebrow. Marinette sharply inhaled, and that's when he knew she really wasn't planning to return after all. As he'd thought.

The blue haired girl looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact. She really didn't think he'd catch on this quickly…did she really have to come back to the forest everyday and put herself in more danger? If she didn't go, he couldn't come out of the forest, right? He'd surely he spotted and he didn't seem like the type of person who would take big risks, hence the reason he dragged her off deep into the forest to have a simple conversation.

 _But,_ she thought, _if I don't agree, he's probably going to eat me up right now…_

That's when Marinette was hit with a brilliant idea. She could just _lie_! If she told him she'd bring him food, he'd let her go, and she could leave then _never_ return! She could just forget this entire experience ever happened. It sounded flawless.

"Of course I'll bring it!" she smiled cheerfully. "I'll bring you so much yummy food. Croissants, tarts, souffle, you name it!"

The male narrowed his eyes. For a second, Marinette felt scared. She sounded _way_ too enthusiastic just then. He was sure to see right through her…

"I'll be looking forward to it, then. I'll be waiting near the front of the forest."

With those words said, she watched in utter disbelief as he disappeared, leaving behind only a temporary cloud of green. She was shocked because one, he'd just vanished into thin air, and two, he actually bought her _lame_ excuse.

Marinette turned on her heel and ran before he could change his mind. Although, considering the fact that it appeared he was part demon, he could find her easily in this forest if she wanted. So she wanted to get out as quickly as possible.

As she stumbled a few times, thoughts ran through the girl's head. Why didn't he just leave her on the forest ground? Surely that wasn't just because she was his main source of food, was it? And the biggest question she found herself wondering, was why did she find those eyes so familiar? Why did she in some sick, twisted way, _trust_ those eyes?

She _hated_ it.


	5. Broken Deals

**Thanks for all the support on this fic, guys! Reading your reviews make my day. Also, 60+ follows? For four chapters? That's pretty amazing :')**

 **I got a question asking what time this is set in! This is set a few years ago, however it seems older since this fic is currently set in a secluded village with little to no outsider contact. So they've been living kind of like more olden times, however I think this will start to make more sense as the story continues along.**

 **-o-**

 _Marinette sat at the end of a dock, legs dangling from the edge as she let the water occasionally hit her feet. The scenery here was beautiful, though one thing was bugging her. Just where was she?_

 _Her head turned as she heard a loud call coming from a nearby house. She couldn't quite make out what it'd said, though it definitely did sound like a male. Letting her eyes wander, she spotted two other figures standing by the pond, as well. One of them was a small boy, while the other with blue hair was…her?_

 _She watched them gleefully play around with rocks and chat. Their words all merged together, making them incoherent. Marinette bent down, trying to get a better look at the boy's face, only to find that he was simply a black figure with no features. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Was she dreaming?_

 _The blonde boy suddenly stood after hearing his father's call. "I have to go," he told his friend apologetically. She frowned as he turned away._

" _Wait!" she called. He shot her a curious glance. "What's your name?"_

" _My name? That's…" his voice became one jumbled mess of sounds. Marinette felt herself gaining consciousness._

 _She internally screamed in frustration. She wanted to hear it. Who was that boy? Just who was he?_

 **-o-**

Marinette awoke with a shock. Sitting up in her bed, she placed a hand over her chest and took deep breaths. She had _another_ dream about that boy. They were really starting to get to her. She knew that she knew him from somewhere. Although Marinette could only vaguely recall extremely clouded moments of her childhood, she knew he was somewhere in those memories. But of what significance she was still unsure.

Shaking her head, the girl stood, deciding a nice shower would help clear her head. Luckily, she'd woken up early, so she had plenty of spare time before their bakery had to to opened.

Peeling off her clothes and stepping into the shower, Marinette let out a content sigh as the warm water hit her bare skin. She felt as if it were washing away all her worries down the drain. Especially after being so paranoid all night about that scary handsome demon boy—whom she didn't even know the name of yet—coming to kill her in her sleep for not bringing him food.

She finished up, wrapping her petite figure in a towel, deciding that she'd get dressed and get a headstart on baking. Digging through her closet, Marinette found a long-sleeved beige sweater dress and slipped it on over a pair of shorts.

She tied up a pigtail for her signature look. Pleased with how it looked, she gave it a satisfied little tap before grabbing another red hair tie and bunching up the rest of her hair...

...But that's when shrill scream from outside caused Marinette to go on alert.

"FIRE! EVACUATE YOUR HOMES!"

She felt a rush of panic stab through her. Marinette dropped the hair tie, leaving only one half of her hair up, the other down. She rushed out of her room, before her parents ran out of theirs as well. Her mother comfortingly placed a hand on the small of her back, ushering her out.

They shoved their way outside, finding that most of the village was already there, frantically passing along buckets of water and splashing the fire that started. Marinette joined the line, looking at the severity and finding that it was quickly spreading. It appeared to start as a burning tree. How did that even catch on fire in the first place?

"Don't just stand there! Help us!"

She grabbed a bucket of water another villager shoved into her arms. She lowered it, before quickly raising it and throwing the liquid at the source of the fire. Unfortunately, it did nothing. No matter the amount of water people doused it with, the fire persisted stubbornly, only going down of a few seconds before popping up, even more powerful than before.

"We have to hurry before the fire spreads to the houses!" An authoritative voice called. She internally freaked out. These were people's homes! Their homes were going to burn down! Marinette wildly splashed more water on the bright flames, crying out in a mixture of frustration and fear when they began to spread faster.

Suddenly, a pang of realization hit the bluenette.

The girl's heart thudded painfully in her chest. _It couldn't be him...right? He wouldn't do that. Or would he?_

"Need help?"

Without even sparing the male a glance, she snatched the bucket from his hands that was offered to her, quickly spilling the contents all over the fire. A few people let out terrified yelps as the flames roared loudly, only growing almost twice their previous size. Alya turned to her and glared.

"Marinette, that was gasoline!" she exclaimed incredulously. There was angry chattering around the crowd as people shook their heads and continued trying to put out the fire. Marinette gaped in disbelief, turning to the person that offered her the bucket.

"What—" she started, all forming words dying in her mouth when she saw the person's face. It was the demon boy.

Her eyes blazed in fury. "Why would you do that?!" she demanded. Were people's lives only mere jokes to him? She couldn't believe him. The boy only tsked disapprovingly.

"We had a deal, did we not?" he questioned, cocking his head to the side as if genuinely curious. Marinette wrinkled her forehead in frustration.

"It's only the morning! I was going to bring it later today!" she lied, willing to try anything to save these innocent people's houses and lives. She saw his expression soften for a moment, before his lips curled into a small smirk.

"You think you're smart, do you not?" he asked, confusing Marinette. "Or maybe, you think of me as stupid?"

"What?"

"You're so easy to read through, _princess_ ," the name rolled off his tongue almost venomously. Marinette shivered. She really didn't like the tone he was using right now. "I know you were never planning to come back after running away that night."

"Marinette, who are you talking to?! Get to work!" Alya commanded. The blue haired girl knew she was still mad about earlier. In fact, the entire village probably was. She couldn't blame them—she would've been pretty pissed, too.

Finally making her resolve, Marinette stood and pointed at the blonde boy that caused everyone all this grief. She would deal with any consequences of exposing him later. But for now…

"Alya, this person right here is a demon and he started the fire," she informed the girl, confidently.

The redhead's eyes widened, her hazel orbs following where her finger pointed. She blinked once, then twice. The boy, however, looked calm as ever. Alya slid off her glasses, narrowing her eyes, before raising an eyebrow and sighing loudly. Marinette was confused. She expected more of a reaction than that.

"Girl, quit fooling around. There's no one there," she practically scoffed, bending down and gripping a large bucket of water, heaving it up with difficulty. "If you're not going to help out, them stay out of the way."

She left her best friend there, frozen in shock. Marinette didn't understand how Alya couldn't believe her. He was _right_ here! She knew her friend had pretty bad vision, hence the glasses, but to completely not see a person in broad daylight? What?

"Nice try," he complimented mockingly, "but I'm afraid these people can't see me. Not a single one of them," the blonde informed her, running a hand through his locks. Marinette was baffled.

"Then why can I see you?!" she demanded. He shrugged nonchalantly. Somehow she had a hard time believing that he _really_ didn't know anything.

"That part still beats me…but back to more important things," he swiftly changed the topic, gesturing towards the lit up background behind her. She turned around and took a look at the fire, letting out a horrified gasp at how large the flames had grown, and how fast they spread across a large patch of grass. "Are you going to hold true to your promise this time?"

Marinette didn't even need a second to think about it. Turning to him, she eagerly nodded her head. Without hesitation, she vowed, "I will bring you food everyday. I'll go into the forest and bring it to you. Please, please save these innocent people."

She got down on her knees, only to be stopped by the boy. He grabbed her wrist, causing her to glance up. His emerald eyes met hers, and that's when she felt a familiar little twinge in her chest again. He could see the sincerity of her promise in her eyes, and smiled in satisfaction. She quickly tore her gaze away from his, not liking the sensation.

"No need to kneel," he assured her, holding her hand and helping her up. The blonde then handed her a new bucket full of water. Or, so, she hoped it was this time. "Use this."

She took a quick whiff of the contents. It didn't smell strong like gasoline, but…

"For real this time?" she questioned, obviously hesitant. She turned around and have him a desperate look.

"Why don't you go test it out?" he suggested. Knowing he would never give her a straight answer, she decided to test it.

If this worked, she would save so many of her loved ones, friends, and acquaintances. But if it didn't…

Marinette held her breath. She moved in front of the huge crowd, drawing lots of attention. Getting as close to the fire as she could while still keeping a safe distance, the girl lowered her bucket, and dumped the contents.

This splash would either save, or destroy, so many lives.


	6. She's a Demon

**Another relatively short chapter, but I hope you guys like it! This chapter should answer a few questions you guys have been wondering**

 **-o-**

The entire village was silent as she spilled the contents of the bucket onto the burning tree. She could tell half the people present were expecting a repeat of not too long ago, which would be without a doubt an utter disaster.

Everyone held their breaths as the clear substance flew out of the container, landing perfectly on the tree. For a moment, nothing happened. People tsked and started grabbing buckets to keep pouring. _Did he lie again, after all?_ she wondered, dejectedly sighing.

However, when the mystery liquid soaked the fire, the flames got completely put out, leaving some smoke behind. It disappeared in the blink of an eye. The burnt branches and grass blades were the only evidence a fire ever even occurred. Some people dropped their buckets, obviously confused and shocked.

There was a collection of surprised gasps, sighs of relief, and definitely a lot of murmuring. Of course there would be—after a whole village of hundreds diligently worked to put out a fire, some seventeen year old klutz walks up and makes it disappear in the blink of an eye. If that wasn't suspicious, she didn't know what was.

To her horror, people began backing away. Marinette had been expecting a more positive reaction than this, she'd just saved the entire village! Even if it was technically because of her the fire started, but still…

"Marinette…how did you do that?" Alya queried cautiously. It broke the girl's heart to see her best friend approaching her so hesitantly.

"What? It's just…water…" she replied, peeking into the empty bucket and wondering if it was really water after all. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But why was everyone so afraid?

"She's a demon!"

Marinette's eyes widened, as she turned around to face the person who said that. To her surprise, it was the redheaded, teal-eyed boy she entered the forest with and had gone missing. Nathanael.

"What?" she asked, confusion etched into every feature on her face.

"Marinette disappeared into the forest and when I went looking for her, I could hear screams and saw a weird greenish glow. I ran away as fast as I could," he accused, pointing at the blue haired female. There were gasps from the villagers as they gave the girl weird looks. Marinette wished she could tell them it wasn't true, but she couldn't disprove it.

"Nathanael, what—"

"I knew something was off when she eagerly accepted my offer to travel with her," he spoke evenly, turning to the girl with a slightly frightened yet somehow smug and confident expression. "You lured me in so you could eat me, right? You also fed on all the other people who disappeared."

Marinette shook her head vigorously. What kind of person did he take her for? "I brought the medicine back yesterday to save our village! Do none of you remember that?!" she cried defensively, getting tired of being doubted.

Chloe stepped in. "Medicine? Nice try, Marinette, but how can we trust you're not trying to poison us all?" she inquired, actually making a smart point for the first time in all the years Marinette had known her.

There were sounds of agreement heard from all around her, lots of murmuring, some chanting, yelling, and gasps. All the noises blended together until one loud, booming voice caught her attention.

The horrific words that came out of her mayor's mouth made her heart drop further than she ever thought could be possible.

"For the safety of our village, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is to be sentenced to death tomorrow."

 **-o-**

Marinette lay in her bed all day, beneath the covers, curled up into a ball. The news was overwhelming, and needless to say, rather depressing. Nobody spoke up against it, either, so maybe dying was the best choice after all. Nobody wanted her there…

She briefly wondered where that demon boy was. He hadn't shown himself after handing her the bucket. She felt a flare of rage run through her body upon his remembrance. If he never started that stupid fire in the first place, she wouldn't be dying tomorrow.

The girl chuckled bitterly. The joke was on him, in the end. If he didn't have her around, that'd mean no food. Maybe he'd regret his decision and feel bad about it. Although, it'd be too late once he did. She'd already be gone.

Marinette wished she hadn't interfered at all. She should've stayed to the side and not used any buckets offered to her. That would've been the safest thing for her, but her focus was on the safety of her friends and family at the moment.

At the thought of her friends, she remembered Alya. She remembered how the girl seemed afraid of her. Marinette knew the redhead was always extremely scared and freaked out of the idea of demons in general—her friend being accused of one was probably too much for her to take. She wondered how Alya felt about her being sentenced to death. Sad? Or maybe, relieved?

A knock on her door snapped the girl out of her reverie. For a second, her heart filled with panic as she thought they decided to kill her earlier. But her nerves soon settled as her parents walked in.

Her mother carried a large backpack, and a winter coat in her hands. Confused, Marinette sat up, as the items were set near the bottom of her bed. Her parents wore concerned yet guilty expressions.

"Marinette, we know you're probably upset that we didn't protest earlier," her father said gently. She avoided eye contact and chose to study a painting on her wall, instead. "But it was with reason. Sweetie, we know you're not a demon. That's outrageous."

She crinkled her nose in distaste. "It doesn't matter what you think. I'm going to die," Marinette deadpanned as though she didn't care, although her own words hit her harder than anticipated. That's when her mother placed a caring hand on her back.

"I'm not letting you die, _mon bébé_ ," she assured her. Marinette finally stopped staring at the painting and looked into the older woman's eyes.

"Maman, what do you mean?" she asked, feeling lost, though still hopeful.

"I want you to run away."

 **-o-**

 **To everyone wondering what happened with Nathanael, here he is! Back and causing more trouble than ever.**

 **I hope this chapter completely destroyed all your wonderfully thought out predictions. :)**


	7. Wolves and Demons

**I love how everyone reviewing hates Nathanael now because of last chapter XD**

 **-o-**

Marinette found herself standing in front of the forest just as she did the other day, however this time around it was pitch black out, due to the fact that it was just before midnight.

She had to escape when no one would see her. The plan was for the girl to be long gone by daylight, so even if anyone risked searching for her, they wouldn't be able to find her. Her parents already decided they would tell the people of their village that Marinette had snuck out in the middle of the night and her whereabouts were unknown. There was no reason to make her parents into targets of the village's wrath.

Apparently, if she travelled a few hundred miles to the northwest, there would be a town there. Marinette grimaced at the distance. There in the town was an airport that she could take to Paris and hopefully find a way to live. She had just enough money and a bit extra for a flight ticket. Apparently, she also had a passport from when she was younger that she was given.

Of course, she never remembered riding a plane, but then again, there were lots of things she didn't remember.

Marinette looked both ways, making sure nobody was on her tail, before sneaking off into the forest. She decided to follow the same path she did the first time, except this time heading off to the west instead of the east when the path stopped.

She walked quickly, wanting to get as far as possible before daylight. Marinette sighed with every uncomfortable step she took. Sleeping here was going to be quite the task. She knew sleeping in the forest, or even entering it in the first place was a bad idea, but it was her only option. Unless she wanted to die, which was obviously the situation she was trying to avoid here.

She eventually decided on taking naps during the daytime, for that's when creatures were less likely to be out and about. Or, at least, that's when they seemed less scary.

The girl walked for about half an hour before she felt sleepiness begin to plague her. Marinette yawned, knowing that she couldn't sleep for another few hours. She did wish she got some sleep before coming all the way out here, but it was awful hard to sleep with so much on your mind. Not to mention when you're also trying to avoid your death.

Trudging along, she noted that the ground was muddy, unlike before. She knew it must've rained at some point the night before. Her feet felt heavy and every lift of her boot was almost torturous. She groaned.

She stopped to the side, reaching her hand out and leaning on a tree for support. Marinette grabbed a nearby stick that was luckily dry, scraping off huge globs of mud from her boots. Feeling the weight drop off, she let out a sigh of content, releasing the stick and straightening her backpack to continue on her journey.

That is, until she heard a loud howl.

The girl turned around, bright blue eyes shining with fear. The sound came from behind her and was _definitely_ pretty close considering how loud it was. Now, she was no animal expert, but the only creature to her knowledge that made such a noise was…

Her gaze landed on a large, grey wolf. Its dull, brown eyes, seemed to pierce right through her, while its sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight. He looked very hungry, and she knew it had noticed her.

She was going to be his next meal.

Her eyes widened, and for a moment she felt frozen in that spot. Her heartbeat rapidly sped up with every passing second, and she didn't know what to do. However, when the wolf lunged at her, her flight or fight instincts kicked in and she fled.

She sludged through the mud as fast as humanly possible with her heavy boots. The creature snarled loudly, and Marinette knew it was catching up. She glanced back, absolutely frightened.

But what she saw next almost scared her to death.

Now, instead of only _one_ wolf, there was an entire pack of _eight_ wolves eyeing her demonically. Marinette let out a loud gasp, picking up the pace. She could feel her legs trembling beneath her, however continued running for her life. She almost wished that she stayed in the village and died there, instead. At least then her parents wouldn't have any false hope about her safety.

Marinette was now nearly hyperventilating as she dashed up a slope, looking around frantically for any way to gain an advantage over the wild animals. Unfortunately, she was too preoccupied and misjudged her foot placement, causing the girl to stumble and fall to the ground.

She felt her shaking knees give way, legs no longer able to hold the terrified girl up. She cried out in pain and fear as her body hit the forest floor. Marinette tried to scramble back to her feet, only to fall face forward once more. Her clothes were covered in filth, and her body ached, begging her to give it a rest.

She finally slumped down, giving up. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to watch the wolves when they tore into her and ripped her limbs apart. That would be too much to bear, and she didn't want to spend her last moments alive vomiting.

Her entire body tensed and she let out a loud cry of terror as something sharp pressed into her side. Assuming it was a set of teeth, Marinette began to prepare herself for her inevitable fate. She let out heavy pants, anticipating an excruciating pain to erupt through her gut.

But it never came.

"Relax. I'm not going to let them hurt you."

Her eyes shot open upon hearing the familiar husky voice. She glanced down at her side, finding his clawed hand resting there. _So, it wasn't teeth._ She wanted to cry. She was so relieved he was here, for once.

Marinette found it strange that she felt safe with him here. He was a demon—why was she so relieved that he was touching her instead of some wolf? If she remembered correctly, he set the village on fire not too long ago and had her sentenced to death.

Well, maybe the death part wasn't his fault. That was more Nathanael. But, still…

However, instead of yelling at him for getting her into such a mess, she found herself relaxing in his arms.

"Thank you."

Her eyes fell shut once more, entrusting him to keep her safe. She felt his touch leaving her, and briefly peeked an eye open to make sure he didn't leave.

He sure didn't.

Her eyes widened in shock as she watched him attack a wolf that attempted to leap for her. He raised a clawed hand, bringing it down onto the wolf and piercing through its flesh. Marinette winced as she heard the creature howl in pain.

Another wolf jumped up, however this time headed for her blonde savior. She was about to call out, however he turned around just in time, giving the animal a rough shove that sent it flying a few feet through the air.

A few of the wolves backed away, obviously not wanting to get involved in the fight and injured. The emerald eyed boy kept himself and the pack occupied by making sure they were kept away from Marinette for the time being. He was looking for an opportunity to safely take her away without them following.

Marinette watched as he scared a couple wolves, resulting in them stumbling backward. She was grateful, and knew he had it all under hand. He knew what he was doing.

Or, that's what she thought.

The blue haired girl watched as a wolf crept up behind him, unbeknownst to the blonde. Marinette knew it was ready to lunge and attack due to its position, crouched down on the forest floor. She knew it wouldn't be a good ending for the demon if he were to be badly bitten by one of these wolves.

Knowing that even if she called out at this point his reaction time would be too late, Marinette pushed herself up off the ground with some newfound energy, taking a few quick steps before pouncing on the wild animal.

She could feel the wolf squirm beneath her petite figure, and instantly knew she threw herself into a dangerous situation as soon as it managed to lift it's head above her shoulder.

Marinette tried to get away, but didn't have enough time. She let out a yelp of pain as its sharp teeth sunk into her shoulder, drawing a fair amount of blood. It hurt like _hell._ She felt intense amounts of pain rush all the way from the base of her neck down to her fingertips. She barely registered feeling the wolf being violently thrown off her by the blonde.

Feeling numbness mix with the throbbing and stabbing sensation, she glanced down at her shoulder to see the damage. All she saw was blood. Lots and lots of _blood_.

The world seemed to slow as simply keeping consciousness proved to be a fairly difficult task at this point. Her body tensed, causing another wave of pain to surge through her arm, before collapsing to the ground.

Then everything turned black.

 **-o-**

 **I feel like this was more gorey than necessary (I have the lowest standards for gorey because I can't STAND the sight of blood. I'll literally puke it's just** _ **no.**_ **[guess ever being a doctor is out of the question :P])**


	8. A Tempting Offer

**Wowza man ya girl is stressed ::'( but tbh I'm hyped about where I'm going with this fic yahoooooooooooo**

 **-o-**

 _Marinette glanced around the large, unfamiliar room. She wasn't sure where she was, though it surely seemed very luxurious here. It was nothing like she'd ever seen before._

" _Who is this?"_

 _She turned her head toward the source of the voice, and there she noticed three people standing across the room from her. Two were grown women, while one was a young child. She immediately identified the kid as herself and knew this was another dream. As usual, the other two people were only black figures with features she couldn't make out._

 _The four-year-old girl gripped onto her mother's pants, hiding her face shyly behind her leg. Her mother smiled gently, patting the timid child's head._

" _Mother," she spoke evenly, "this is your granddaughter."_

 _Marinette's forehead crinkled in confusion. She usually wasn't able to make out more than a couple words in her dreams. However, it seemed this one was different..._

 _The oldest woman was evidently shocked, glancing down at the young girl with wide eyes, before averting her attention back to the other woman._

" _This is...Gabriel's child?"_

 _Gabriel? Who was Gabriel? Her father's name was Tom._

" _Don't be so shocked. We're engaged, after all," the woman with the child clinging to her leg responded smoothly._

" _I just didn't expect you guys to be so quick," she admitted._

" _Things just happened that way."_

 _There was an awkward moment of silence before the woman who seemed to be her grandmother fixed her eyes on the small girl._

" _What's her name?" she asked._

" _Marinette."_

 _Marinette tensed up upon hearing her name. She already knew it was her all along, however hearing some sort of confirmation seemed to make everything seem more real._

" _Marinette?" the woman asked, again._

" _Marinette?" She repeated herself like a broken record. Marinette could see everything blurring away as her consciousness slowly came back to her…_

"Marinette?"

She lazily lifted an eye, her entire body feeling numb due to the fact that she'd just woken up. She found the blonde kneeling right by her bed, however in his human form, this time. She figured he didn't want to scare her anymore than needed after last night terror-filled events.

"How…do you know my name…?" she croaked, throat dry and scratchy. He handed her a glass of water, in which she accepted, only to feel a fresh surge of pain rush through it upon even the slightest of movements. She completely forgot about her injury.

The glass slipped from her fingertips, slamming against the floor and shattering, sending small shards of glass flying and littering the room.

Marinette leaned over apologetically, using her good arm to reach down and pick up the glass, only for the boy to gently grasp her wrist and tuck it back under the covers.

"I'll take care of it," he assured her, bending down to gather the broken pieces. She kept quiet, a bit surprised at his uncharacteristic behavior. "As for your name, I overheard it," he admitted, almost sounding guilty about it. Marinette nodded in understanding, although he couldn't see it because his back was facing her.

"What about you?" she queried, halting the boy in his actions. She realized only a second later how little sense her question made.

"What?"

"I mean, your name," she elaborated, "it's not fair if you know mine but I don't know yours."

There was a brief moment of silence where Marinette thought she'd asked the wrong question. She knew she should've just minded her own business. What good would her knowing his name do for him?

To her surprise, the blonde raised his head, making eye contact with her. She observed his green orbs intently as a rush of déjà vu hit her the moment he parted his lips. "I'm Adrien."

Marinette nodded, finally tearing her eyes from his. She cleared her throat. "That's a nice name."

He turned his head as well, clearly lost in the moment just as she was. "Thanks, I got it for my birthday."

She awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of her neck. This was rather uncomfortable... "Haha, me too…"

"..."

"..."

"...Want to go for a walk?" she suggested, willing to do anything to get out of this nerve-wracking situation. Plus, she could use a bit of fresh air, even if she was a bit scared still from the events that transpired a little while ago, though she wouldn't say it.

"No." He shot down her idea without even a second of thought. Marinette frowned, not even very passionate about taking a walk until now. Somehow she suddenly felt like getting some air after his curt rejection.

"Fine, I'll go alone."

" _No._ " His tone was even harsher this time. She froze. "You were nearly torn apart by a pack of wolves no less than a few hours ago. You're not leaving," he instructed, pointing a stern finger at her as if he were a parent scolding a child.

She bit her lower lip, deciding to push the line a bit. "But if you come with to protect me…?"

He glared at her, and Marinette immediately regretted her words. "What, do I look like your babysitter?" the blonde demanded with an eye roll. The girl pressed her lips together tightly, finally making her resolve to just stay silent for now. Pushing her boundaries wasn't such a bright idea after all.

"Sorry…" she apologized sheepishly, snuggling back up into the covers and shutting her eyes. A bit of extra sleep never hurt anyone. Besides, if she had to somehow locate a faraway town from here, a lot of energy would be required.

Marinette's eyes flew open.

Speaking of locations…where was she?

She looked around, finding a surprisingly tidy room and comfortable bed. It wasn't like the one she woke up in the last time she passed out, but where else could it be? "Is this the doctor's again?" she inquired, quirking an eyebrow up. He smiled softly, an expression she did not expect to see from him.

"No, this is my home."

His answer surprised her. She didn't expect demons to have homes too. "You have a home?"

He scoffed. "Don't look so shocked."

"I just thought…nevermind."

Then it was back to the awkward silence. Marinette shifted in the bed slightly, wincing when pressure was applied to her right arm. "How's your shoulder doing?" he asked, obviously witnessing her small act of pain.

Not finding any point in sizing the injury up, plus she wanted to get back to travelling as soon as possible, she just forced a smile and replied, "Fine."

He didn't seem to believe her, raising an eyebrow and tapping his chin. "Can you move it properly?"

Feeling obliged to abide to his request, the girl raised her arm quickly in hopes that it would lessen the pain, although it seemed to make things worse. "Ouch," she hissed, grasping at her wounded shoulder with her other hand. She was careful to avoid the bandages he'd placed there to patch her up, not wanting to undo anything. He tsked as if knowing this would be the case.

"Stay here in bed. I'll find you something to eat somewhere…" he commanded, and whilst she could hear the harshness he attempted to force into his tone, she could also make out the mild concern. Marinette pointed to her backpack.

"I brought some food in my backpack," she informed him, watching as he went to grab her pink-striped bag. He unzipped the largest pocket, pulling out a container of fruit.

"I never did get to ask where you were headed to," he realized aloud, handing her a banana. Marinette gratefully accepted it with her left-hand, the only hand she could use without feeling intense pain.

She shrugged nonchalantly at his question, hoping he wouldn't keep inquiring about her situation. "Somewhere far."

Unfortunately for her, this response seemed to pique his interest. "Why is that? Do you dislike the village?" he questioned. Marinette hummed thoughtfully.

"No…they're just sort of trying to kill me right now. Come to think of it, weren't you there?" she replied lightheartedly, as if she were talking about her last year's birthday party rather than her possible death.

He crinkled his nose. "Temporarily. I left after handing you the bucket."

She sighed. "They think I'm a demon."

"With what proof?" he chuckled dryly.

"Me putting out the fire," she replied, although not exactly too sure of that herself. Nathanael did say something about seeing a glow in the forest, but if she told the demon—err, Adrien, about that, he might go find Nathanael and kill him for seeing something he shouldn't have. She didn't want to take any chances.

"Sounds like a weak argument," he noted.

"It guess it was," she agreed.

Marinette peeled her banana, silently taking small bites while Adrien gathered some of her containers of food and began moving them to his kitchen—that is, until she stopped him.

"You don't need to move those," she assured him, holding out a hand of protest. He turned around, making a face."

"And why not?" he challenged.

"I'll be leaving," she announced, gesturing for him to set the containers down. To her utter humiliation, he ignored her and snorted indignantly.

"Leaving? You don't even know where you're going," he said. The girl frowned, knowing he had a point. But she wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of having the last word.

"Well…I guess I'll figure it out," she protested weakly. That's when the blonde smirked, slightly startling her. Why was he smirking? Nothing good _ever_ came with his smirks.

"Or, you can just stay here."


	9. Heart of Black

**(guys please follow Yunbikun on smule—if he hits 100 followers he is going to read off a yaoi voice script and i don't think you understand how much i need this in my life)**

 **wow haha you know that promise i made about only disappearing for a few days at once? i might've meant few months—**

 **nonetheless, enjoy this chapter, guys!**

 **-o-**

There were a few moments of awkward silence in which the two stared blankly into the other's eyes. Just as Adrien opened his mouth to say something, perhaps even take back the offer, Marinette let out a loud, rather indignant snort of disbelief.

"Uh, yeah, no," she immediately shot the idea down as if it never stood a chance. "You know that thing your parents tell you? Don't talk to strangers? I think it applies to living with them, too."

Instead of being let down, he smirked in amusement at her response. He should've known. "After all we've been through, I'd say we're hardly strangers anymore," he retorted. Marinette rolled her eyes at that.

"I literally learned your name about ten minutes ago," she deadpanned. He cleared his throat dramatically, setting down the containers of fruit on a nearby counter and taking a seat on the end of the bed.

"It's the experiences we went through, not the knowledge we have," he spoke. Marinette snickered at his attempt to sound inspirational.

"And which famous person said that?" she questioned. Adrien clicked his tongue.

"Since when do you know anything about famous people? You've lived in that secluded village your entire life, haven't you?" he asked, skeptically. She shook her head.

"No, actually, I haven't. But that's a different matter. I've heard adults talk about philosophy and quotes or something like that, so I know people like Ludwig Wittgenstein and Simone de Beauvoir," she responded a-matter-a-factly.

He quirked an eyebrow up. "How do you know I'm not actually Ludwig Wittgenstein in disguise?"

She laughed at this. How could he make fun of her for being not knowledgeable with this kind of response? "He's dead, moron."

"Demons don't die," he informed her. She blinked in surprise.

"Do they really not?" she queried, obviously intrigued in the topic. Come to think of it, as she didn't really know that much about him or his species. Demons aren't something you just run into everyday.

He shrugged. "Well, ones who are full demon."

"Are you not full demon?"

"Have you not taken a look at me? I'm a human right now," he rolled his eyes.

"Oh…" she hummed thoughtfully, allowing her eyes to rake over his figure. "Were you a human before this, then?" she wondered aloud. He visibly tensed, pressing his lips together into a thin line, before shooting her a glare. Although, this time, she felt the glare wasn't an angry one, nor was it directed towards her.

"Question time is over. Time for me to ask you some."

"What?" she asked, surprised at how quickly his emotions could change. Were all demons this bipolar?

"It's only fair," he smirked, either oblivious to the fact or just not really caring that she was confused. "First question. Why and how can you see me?"

She crinkled her nose in distaste. Did he still not believe her? "I thought we already established that I'm just as clueless as you are."

"Wrong answer." He leaned closer towards her, hovering a hand dangerously over her leg. What he was going to do, she didn't know. And, maybe, she didn't want to know. "How are you able to see me when I hide myself from others?"

She felt her heartbeat quicken. Was he really going to kill her right after saving her? Not the most logical thing to do, but then again, from what she'd seen so far, he wasn't all that logical. "I don't know!" she exclaimed, voice hitching towards the end in panic.

He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking this over. He seemed to believe her so far, which he should, as she'd have no reason to lie in this kind of situation, anyway.

"Then, where did you get that?" he asked, pointing a finger at the necklace she wore all the time. It had a thin, gold chain, which secured a gorgeous black charm in the shape of a heart that lay above her chest.

"Huh?" she looked down, only to find he was curious about the necklace. Marinette smiled gently, allowing the small, black heart pendant to rest in her palm. Just looking at the piece of jewelry seemed to calm her down. "Maman says she gave this to me for my birthday, but I know she didn't. I don't tell her that, though."

"Why would she lie about it?" he scoffed, pretending to be nonchalant about it, although she could see the pure curiosity in his eyes. Marinette closed her eyes, holding the pendant close to her heart.

"Well, sometimes people lie to make you happy," she told him.

The corner of his lip quirked up into a lopsided smile. "Is that another famous quote?"

Marinette's eyes popped open as she glanced at him curiously. "I don't think so. That's just something I've always said," she admitted.

"I see," he went on, not finding anymore to say about that topic. "Who really gave the necklace to you, then?" he queried. If her mom didn't give it to her, who did?

"I don't...really remember," she hesitated. "I vaguely recall a little boy giving it to me, but that's it." Marinette briefly recalled the time she confronted her mother about this, however she laughed it off, insisting she had only dreamt up such a silly story. Not wanting to make matters worse, Marinette agreed, however she always knew it actually occurred. Sure, she couldn't remember much, but she could still tell reality from a dream.

"Did you lose your memory or something?" he asked aloud. She could tell he regretted the question as he said it, as he practically cringed away from his own words, however she simply shook her head reassuringly, allowing him to know he did nothing wrong.

"I'm not sure. I just can't remember anything before the age of six or seven," she laughed, although nothing about the situation was humorous in the slightest. It was more due to nervousness.

"I feel you."

She blinked a couple times in surprise. What was that supposed to mean? "What?"

"The memory thing, I mean," he clarified, cupping one side of his face in his palm to rest on.

"You can't remember anything before that age, either?" Marinette inquired. This was quite a crazy coincidence, she had to admit. Nobody would believe her if she told them she'd been taken in by a seemingly friendly—to an extent—demon, and he was now listening to her life stories and making connections. In fact, they'd probably send for some medicine to be brought, because anyone who makes those kinds of accusations is not right in the head.

He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it," Adrien spoke, a sharp edge to his tone. She knew better than to challenge him when he spoke like that.

"Okay," she agreed, deciding to change the topic back to her. Talking about herself wasn't something she particularly loved to do, especially since she didn't exactly know too much about herself, but it seemed he wasn't fond of the topic of the conversation being about him, either. "But, what does the necklace have to do with me being able to see you?" she wondered.

"Nothing. If you don't know, just drop it," he said.

"But—" she began to protest, only to be cut off.

"Drop it."

Again, she sensed the dangerous edge in his voice. Pushing her limits didn't appear to be a wise decision.

"Okay," she stood up, using her good arm to pick up her backpack, disregarding the fact he still had her fruit. She'd leave it as repayment for his help. "Well, I'll be going now."

Adrien quickly took hold of the other arm of the backpack, not allowing her to move away any further. "Did you not hear me earlier? I said stay with me."

She gaped at his reaction. Who did he think he was? Forcing her to stay with him? "Did you not hear _me_? I rejected," she scowled, tugging back with all her might, blaming it on the fact she only had one usable arm, however it was more probable that she was losing due to his demonic strength.

He smirked. "I'm not asking anymore."

Marinette's expression fell from her face as she loosened her hold on the backpack. "What?" she asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

He nodded in affirmation. "It's not a suggestion nor a request, it's a command. You're staying here," he repeated.

She released her grip on the backpack, ready to bolt for the door. Yes, an absolutely stupid idea, as she contained all her belongings in that bag, but she also didn't want to stay with him. No matter how nice he seemed, he was still dangerous. "Like hell—"

He sprung up, standing before her in the blink of an eye. He hit the back of her knees, causing Marinette to fall backwards into his awaiting arms. "I'm already going to hell, now lay down and get some rest."

"I—"

He set her back down into the bed, spreading the covers evenly until it covered the entirety of her body, leaving only her head exposed. "Marinette."

"Okay. I'll rest. Please, calm down," she said.

"You'll rest... _and_?" he prompted.

"And…" she sighed dejectedly, sparing him another glance before adjusting her eyes back to the bed sheets. She hated admitting loss, but considering the circumstances she was stuck in, "no" wouldn't be taken for an answer.

Crossing her arms stubbornly, she let out a huff, before agreeing to his offer. "I'll stay here."


End file.
